Senate approves parental rights bill

CONCORD - Terminating the parental rights of a rapist would be easier for the victim under a bill the Senate approved unanimously Thursday.Rape victims who decide to keep their child conceived as the result of rape often have to make a deal with the perpetrator not to testify against him to end his claim for parental rights.New Hampshire is one of 15 states that require a sexual assault conviction to terminate the parental rights of the rapist. Senate Bill 253 would change that.The bill, which has bipartisan support across the political spectrum, would terminate the man's parental rights if he is convicted or pleads guilty to sexual assault, or after a court finds the child was conceived during a rape.The bill now goes to the House.